Eucharistic Adoration: Returning to the Sources into a NEW tradition - - PDF document

Eucharistic Adoration: Returning to the Sources into a NEW tradition

At the August meetings, you will recall that Sister Phyllis gave us a review of all things

• Vocations. She was creating 3 committees to discuss various aspects to assist the vocation
• efforts. One of those committees was to look at Eucharistic Adoration. Taking time to pray, to

be with the Lord has a strong appeal to the young adults of today. Last Thursday Sisters Andree, Barbara K and I were at the Newman Center in Vermillion for a fireside chat; on Saturday we went to Schuyler for a young adult retreat. These young people only know Vatican II and many

• f them spoke in terms of their lives as “ministry,” They are very service oriented, but desire a

prayer life that supports this. It is young people such as these that will be the future members of community. So, tonight I will be giving some historic background and. Vatican II documentation about Eucharistic Adoration, and then review for you the committee’s plans. Most of my presentation comes from the book “IN THE PRESENCE The Spirituality of the Eucharistic Adoration” by Sister Joan Ridley, OSB, a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at Tucson, AZ. This book is now in our monastery library. If you have questions from this very short presentation, you may want to check it out for a more complete review of this issue. I would like to start with a brief history. In the early church the community acted on the belief that Christ’s presence endured and was not limited to the time of the celebration. For the early church, adoration was not worship of the inactive body of the Lord but always involved the action of our being taken up into Christ’s offering of himself to the Father in the event of his death – resurrection. St. Augustine writes of a prayer experience wherein Christ said to him regarding the reception of Communion, “It is not you [humans] who assimilate me [Christ] but it is I who assimilate you.” In other words, we are assimilated(/integrated) to the body, mind and will of Christ and to his Mystical Body – we are His body on earth. Eucharistic adoration is a devotion rooted firmly in the liturgy, which can strengthen the liturgical and spiritual life of the parish/community. That is not the memory for those of us who

experienced liturgy and adoration/Benediction prior to Vatican II. When I think about Benediction of the past I definitely think of the highest of high church experiences: several candelabras; a large-oversized – monstrance with far too many jewels and stones; the monstrance set up high, when possible and everyone praying in their own “corner” of the church. While some of the monstrances are still ornate the new designs are much simpler, in the shape of the chalice or a cross or even like a small tabernacle, at least smaller and not so ornate. Of course, then there was Benediction – after Mass – to give a blessing with the Blessed Sacrament to the community who had just received communion. The joy we discovered in Vatican II was that things can change – and do change. The mantra was “go back to your roots.” There has always been ebb and flow in the spirituality of the church – for each of us as individuals. If we had time to go around and share all the changes we’ve seen in our lives and the life of the Church it would be amazing: [There is the “BIG” changes like Latin to English, non-participatory to dialogic liturgy; from only chant to modern compositions to name just a few.] I was looking for a good quote to add here about change. One

• ften quoted is “The only constant in life is CHANGE.” For those of us who lived long enough

to know life before and after Vatican II, we may sometimes wonder if the church can remember that change is healthy. But our Pope Francis seems to be making that point clearer to us today. As the Mass has changed, and so too has Eucharistic Adoration changed –the theology and

• format. Even our terminology has changed. In the past we said “Benediction” or Exposition, but

now we say Eucharistic Adoration. From early times we have had the Blessed Sacrament in reserve: taken home for communication each day and for family members unable to attend services; then later it was reserved for the sick and the dying. As time moved on, the Mass became a private function of the priest, less and less people received communion, there was the development of the private Mass which totally removed the idea of the Body of Christ present in the gathered assembly, and thus leads to an excessive emphasis only on the physical presence of Christ in the physical elements.

In the early 13th century the feast of Corpus Christi began in Belgium as a way to express devotion to the Eucharist. Perpetual adoration started a few years later in France as a thanksgiving prayer for victory of King Louis VII. By the 14th century: “...the custom developed of carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a procession through the town after the Mass on Corpus Christi Day. This was encouraged by the popes, some of whom granted special indulgences to all participants. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) solemnly approved and recommended the procession on Corpus Christi as a public profession of the Catholic faith in the real presence of Christ in the Holy Sacrament.” In the 16th century in Milan we have the practice of “Forty Hours,” a concept based on the practice of the “women keeping watch” at the tomb of Jesus from Good Friday until Easter. I think Bishop Remi DeRoo and Rita Ferrone (MWF speaker) both mentioned that one of the liturgical developments of Vatican II was the re-emphasis on the Paschal Mystery. It seems to me there is value and possible meaning for us today in this 16th century practice. How it is developed will look much different than the 16th century practice and will be based on our understanding of Paschal Mystery today. Go back to your roots and find the meaning and value and then re-introduce it with our new understanding. After the Council of Trent more and more devotions with the exposition of the Eucharist became

• widespread. Our community, from its roots in Switzerland, is part of the development of those
• practices. Our sisters brought perpetual adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament with them.

As late as the 1960s when I entered we still had Exposition and Benediction with Vespers. And the primary purpose for these 19th & early 20th century rituals was to make reparation for the sins

• f the world. Sounds like praying for a world in turmoil, as ours is today, is something to still be

considered. Let’s take a look at this history from the view of the congregation. There was a deep desire for the people to be in communion with the Lord because they did not receive daily communion, not even weekly communion. [That “rule” to receive communion once a year comes out of this past.] The rituals of the Mass had become a mysterious practice of the priest at the altar, not a participation of all the faithful. Remember the priest had his back to the congregation. He was not allowed to raise the host very high at any time during the liturgy until the time of the

consecration so that people would not adore the unconsecrated species.(the connection to the emphasis of presence only in the species) Among the liturgical history journals it is said that people, wanting to see the host, now consecrated, would cry out “Raise it higher, Sir John /Sir Priest, raise it higher, running from church to church to be there in time for the consecration. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament then becomes the way people experienced communion with the Lord. They wanted devotions that would create a sense of communion. Sister Joan describes the Mass and these devotions at the time after Trent as having become an “ocular” communion. Basically not much happens liturgically after the Council of Trent until the 20th century. In 1905 Pope Pius X, in one of his early encyclicals, encouraged the practice of frequent communion. All of the Popes following him also worked at changing the attitudes and practices toward the

• Eucharist. Probably the most prolific changes of the 20th century were at Vatican II. I’m not

going to spend any time with this piece of history, since many of us have lived the Vatican II changes for 50 years, except to say that one of the major shifts in emphasis has been on Eucharist as ACTION rather than object – not just “Christ is present” but “Christ is present TO TRANSFORM US.” In all of these Vatican II changes there was never any intention of totally eliminating the veneration of the reserved sacrament. In 1967 the instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium was

• written. The chapters spoke about: 1. General principles in catechizing the people on the

Eucharistic mystery; 2. General norms and celebrations for Sundays and weekdays; 3. Communion of the Faithful; 4. Reasons for reserving the Eucharist, prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, prayers for Eucharistic reservation; 5. Eucharistic devotions and processions, as well as Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Later, in 1973 the Congregation for Divine Worship wrote a decree entitled Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass.” This document was in 3 sections: 1. Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, Processions, Congresses, 2. Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside the Mass and 3. Administration of Communion and Viaticum to the sick by an Extraordinary Minister. In regard to Adoration there are several changes that have been made all of which were to make the connection between Eucharist/the Mass and adoration. [#81]

Prayer before Christ the Lord sacramentally present extends the union with Christ which the faithful have reached in communion. It renews the covenant which in turn moves them to maintain in their lives what they have received by faith and by sacraments. They should try to lead their whole lives with the strength derived from the heavenly food, as they share in the death and resurrection of the Lord. Everyone should be concerned with good deeds and with pleasing God so that he or she may imbue the world with the Christian spirit and be a witness of Christ in the midst of human society.

#81 Forms of Worship of the Eucharist: Exposition, Benediction, Processions, Congresses

I believe is telling us that the Eucharistic union we have with the Lord in communion will cause us to desire a deeper union with him in prayer – a circle effect – yet the Body of Christ lives in the faithful and this communion should lead to lives of good deeds, being a witness to all of the Christ we are and profess to be. Some of the changes in that 1973 decree are:

• 1. Benediction which is held exclusively for the giving of blessing is prohibited
• 2. During the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament the celebration of the Mass is prohibited

in the body of the church

• 3. A single genuflection is made in the presence of the blessed sacrament whether reserved

in the tabernacle or exposed for public adoration

• 4. Exposition of the blessed sacrament may be in the ciborium or a monstrance
• a. the committee has chosen to use the ciborium, at least for now.
• 5. 2-6 candles are lighted, as at Mass. At least 2 must be lit
• a. we are choosing to use only 2 candles
• 6. Exposition should extend for a period of time (goes back to the idea of that in-out/

Benediction)

• 7. In the absence of a priest, exposition and reposition of the Blessed Sacrament may be

done by an acolyte or minister of communion, or a member of a religious community.

• 8. During the exposition there should be prayers, songs and readings to direct the attention
• f the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord.

This last point suggests that adoration is not just a private affair between me and Jesus. The Body of Christ is present, as Vatican II teaches, 1 in the faithful gathered in his name,

• 2. in his Word, 3. in the ministers, and above all in the Eucharistic elements.

It is our Communion with the Lord that is the climax of the liturgy and that must also be the focus of our Eucharistic adoration. One of the Fathers of the Church is to have said “the Eucharist is not consecrated to be adored, but because it is consecrated, it is adored.”

There have been changes that have happened since Benediction and 40-hours of our past. In an article written by a millennial and entitled Filling the Spiritual Void: Liturgical Prayer that Nourishes Catholic Millennials, it states that they “tend to crave the sense of mystery in liturgy that has often been lost with the reforms of Vatican II. Thus, an experience that provides a sense

• f the holy and transcendent outside of their everyday life is very appealing.” Young adults of

today do not carry the baggage and negative experiences we own. In my reading about Adoration everything has said there was never any intention at Vatican II to eliminate adoration; the 1973 document was to give it new life. In our excitement for change, I think we bowed to the energy of song and participation; as church communities we have moved with sounds of singing, raised our arms in response, even danced to the heartbeat of the rhythms

• f the rituals, but we have not allowed ourselves the enjoyment of silence together. Godfrey

Diekmann once said “Eucharistic exposition and adoration are nothing else than the action of the Mass held in contemplation.” He also expressed “mild astonishment that Eucharistic exposition should presented a problem.” Adoration is not a thing of the past, to be buried in the museum with all the other relics. It is a form of prayer that has meaning. One of the hopes of this sub-committee is that our public prayer will encourage others to join us in praying for vocations, hopefully draw attention to young women who might be thinking about a vocation to community. It is our hope that there will be college students, oblates and parishioners who will join us. So here are our plans:

• 1. To have this on the First Sunday of every month from 7:00 – 9:00 PM in the transept

chapel area of the Upper Chapel.

• a. It was a consensus that the Upper chapel was preferred.
• i. accessible to all of us, wheel chairs, scooters etc.
• b. We are working out the details.
• c. If the numbers grew beyond seating in the transept, we’d move to the nave of the

church.

• 2. To have a booklet available for everyone who participates; including copies of the

Scriptures for further reflection

• a. Show order and options

Welcome Exposition with Song (pg. 2-4) OR Psalm (pg. 5-9) Opening Prayer (by leader) (Pg. 10-11) Scripture Readings (every 1/2 hour) followed by Silence Closing: Petitions (pg. 12) Lord’s Prayer Reposition with Hymn (pg. 13-15) OR Divine Praises (pg. 16) This holy hour of Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations is a time for us to come together to ask the Lord to bless the Church with many good vocations. We pray in a special way for more vocations to the consecrated life and the priesthood; that those the Lord calls will have the courage to respond with their yes.

• b. show copy of Scripture

ORDINARY TIME READING I: 1 Cor. 11:23-26 (7:00 PM) 23* For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,k that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”l 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. REFLECTION THOUGHTS

• 1. How do the ways I live show my thankfulness for

Jesus’ death and resurrection?

• 2. Is the death and resurrection of Jesus the real center point of my faith?

READING IV: Teresa of Avila “Manifestations of Love” (8:30 PM) “Love can be manifested in a variety of ways to God. It can be a love shown in both prayer and action. It can be a love of contemplatives, for example, in the religious life who pray not only for themselves, but in actuality more for others. It can be a love of a very active spiritual nature in which the actions throughout each day can be offered up for the greater honor, glory and love of God. This is especially true of people of various occupations of work, in which the very work they are doing can become a prayer. It can take the form of suffering in which the suffering

persons offer up their suffering to God out of pure love for Him, for themselves and

• thers throughout the world. The most vitally important thing about prayer is that it

comes from a pure heart—without distractions if possible, and be devoid of self-love, self-seeking, or self-interest.” REFLECTION THOUGHTS

• 1. In what ways do I make known the love of God in word and deed?
• 2. In what ways do I show God I love Him?
• a. The committee will take the leadership roles to begin.

If you are interested in participating in this role, please tell Sister Phyllis

• 3. We know that this form of prayer is not for everyone. Maybe for some of you it is

something you will re-consider as we continued to re-look at various modes of prayer for ourselves and the community. However, this is not an “everyone in community”

• expectation. But, if it is something you would like to participate we want you to feel

free to come and go as you need. The time, we think, is probably more conducive to participation by the college students.

• 4. That our Holy Hour for the New Year, which is already in this basic format will be

done with Eucharistic Adoration, however using a peace theme. This will be the only total community experience. But, we felt it was a good stepping stone.